Other Half
by CatsbytheGreat
Summary: No second chances. The Doctor is that sort of man. Or is he?
1. Prologue: the Doctor

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything familiar. **

**Author's Note: Despite being AU, the Doctor used is the 10****th**** Doctor. And yes, and AU Doctor Who, though this story will draw on some elements from the series. I hope you enjoy it!  
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**Once, the Doctor gave people hope. The mere mention of his name was enough to bring renewed light into the hearts of those who previously had been surrounded by darkness. He was their last line of defense, their saving grace.

Then something happened.

Those closest to the Doctor knew that he had lived many years, travelling the universe and saving lives, interfering with time not to make terrible things happen, but to save everyone from an untimely and painful end.

And then…

No one could say exactly what happened. No one had been there to see it. The Doctor could have been anywhere in the universe and there was simply no way to tell. Those who had known the Doctor once knew him no longer.

He was gone.

Trouble brewed in different parts of the universe and the first stirrings were felt on earth. Yet the Doctor did not make an appearance. Others, such as the Torchwood organization, were left to sort out the trouble. And elsewhere in the universe people died wondering why the Doctor had not come to save them as he had done for others so many times before.

Rumors emerged that the Time Lord had finally given in to death. Perhaps, some suggested, he had been unable to regenerate. Or perhaps he was being held prisoner.

It was touching, really, that not one of the theories even thought to suggest that the Doctor had just given up, had grown tired of saving people, had grown angry at the universe and at himself. No one would dare think such a thing of their savior.

Yet, that is exactly what the Doctor had done.

He had given up, grown tired of saving people. He was angry.

Had he heard how people described him as their last hope, he would have laughed. A grimace would have twisted features that he still wasn't entirely used to. He would tell himself that those people were so _wrong_.

He would feel something like satisfaction in knowing what everyone else did not know; with his last regeneration his body wasn't the only thing that had changed. He was no longer the Doctor they knew.

He would no longer save the world.


	2. Rose

**Disclaimer: Same as always. Also, the name of the store Rose works at is taken from , Rose's biography (since I couldn't remember the name off-hand.) **

**Author's Note: Yes, this is AU, just in case the prologue didn't give it away. I hope you enjoy! And I want you to know that I have nothing against the Doctor. I love the Doctor. I just wanted to twist the story around a bit because, well, I thought it would be interesting. **

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**Rose Tyler worked in a department store in London called Henrik's.

Every time she walked into the store she had a vague feeling of wrongness. She felt as though she should be doing something…_more_. She was only nineteen years old, but she felt that she had accomplished precious little in her nineteen years.

Really, she felt she had done _nothing_ in her life.

Sure, by some standards people would say she was lucky. She had a job, after all. Her mother loved her and she had a boyfriend who would meet her after work for dinner. Yes, she had a lot of things, but all of those things were so ordinary.

A few weeks before her twentieth birthday, everything changed.

Rose should have realized something was different when she walked into the department store and did not feel as though she shouldn't be there. Yet nothing was out of the ordinary.

While she was folding clothes she spotted a man wandering about the store.

The man was of average height, with brown hair that stood on end in several places and pale skin. He wore a dark, long trench-coat of sorts, and his eyes wandered sightlessly over the shelves as he walked.

_A confused costumer? _Rose thought, frowning. She abandoned the stack of clothes and headed over to the man, intercepting his pathway. He stopped, almost surprised to see her, and seemed to shake himself out of some kind of stupor.

"May I help you?" Rose asked, smiling.

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose so. I'm looking for a new suit."

Rose's smile widened. "I can help you, then. If you'll just follow me…" She walked through several sections of the store. The man was quiet, which wasn't unusual. Rose had to wonder whether he was actually looking for a suit, though, since his thoughts had clearly been elsewhere when she had confronted him. Still, she tried to strike up conversation. "Is there a special occasion?"

"Not really," the man admitted. "My old suit was destroyed. I feel terribly under-dressed in just jeans and a t-shirt, and I miss the feeling of looking a bit more…dignified."

Rose was surprised he had actually answered. "So I'm guessing you're not looking for something too formal? More like…a work suit?"

The man gave a sharp nod. "Exactly."

Rose led him to the section in question. The man's gaze swept over the selection and Rose wondered why he seemed so out of place. She could have gone back to folding clothes—certainly, the man seemed to not want company—but something made her stay.

"You have quite the selection," the man observed when it seemed clear that Rose was not leaving.

"We do." Rose found a pinstriped suit that seemed like it would compliment the man very well and pulled it from the rack. "I think this one would look great on you."

The man offered her a strange smile that did nothing for the coldness in his eyes. "No. Perhaps a long time ago. My tastes seem to run a bit…darker…as of late." He eyed a black suit.

"Well, try it on," Rose prompted, trying not to show how the man's answer had shaken her. The way he had spoken—it sounded as though he had been talking about more than the suit. _Don't be silly, Rose._ Shaking her head, she dismissed the thoughts.

The man disappeared into the changing rooms, leaving Rose to her own devices. She glanced at the pinstriped suit again and sighed._ If the black suit doesn't work out, then perhaps this one will do…_

The man appeared again, interrupting her musings, black suit on over his t-shirt. Rose noted with a small grin that he was wearing converse shoes, which seemed a bit odd for someone who needed a suit.

"You certainly have an interesting taste in clothes," she remarked. "Although the suit does make you look more…dignified."

The man nodded. "I like it. I think I'll buy it."

"Great." Rose waited for him to go change again, but he didn't move.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to wear this out."

"Oh!" A strange request, but Rose didn't think there was anything wrong with it as long as he paid. "Alright. I think we can manage. Come with me."

Something made Rose feel a bit odd as she led the man towards the nearest register. She almost felt like he was watching her as much as she had been observing him. She glanced back at him and smiled. He didn't return the gesture, instead staring straight ahead and ignoring her.

Frowning, Rose took her place behind the register. She ignored his ignoring her and watched as he paid, in cash, for the suit, took his bag, and left.

Suddenly, Rose found a strange desire within her to make this man stay. Or, rather, since she had already dismissed him, to follow him out of the store.

She found herself calling out to him. "Excuse me, sir!"

He turned, a strange expression on his face. For a moment she thought she saw something like anger in his eyes, but it passed and he was just there, expectant, waiting.

"You…still have a tag."

He looked at his sleeve where the tag was still attached and sighed, ripping it off. "Thank you," he murmured before turning away again.

Rose bit down on her lip and tried not to think about why his leaving made her feel even more anxious than his presence had.

* * *

The moment Rose stepped out of Henrik's, she heard someone calling her name.

Turning around, her mind led her to believe for a fleeting moment that it was _him_, the man from earlier. She could almost imagine his voice calling out to her. But then the illusion passed and she saw her boyfriend Mickey running towards her instead.

Mickey caught her in a strong hug and Rose returned the gesture. "I've come to kidnap you for the night," he breathed in her ear. "Look at what I've got."

Rose backed up enough for Mickey to show her the basket in his hands. She laughed. "Is that…a picnic basket?"

"Of course! I thought we could go to the park and have a nice sit-down and talk. I have a surprise for you."

Rose grinned. She loved it when Mickey surprised her. "Which park?" she asked, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.

"Hyde Park," Mickey answered. "Only the best, you know."

"Hyde Park?" Rose laughed. "That's across town!"

"That's why they installed the Tube," Mickey said with a grin. "So it won't take people like us forever to get to Hyde Park to have a picnic."

"Makes sense," Rose conceded. Mickey took her arm and led her away.

Rose had a very good feeling about this.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set and Rose couldn't remember having ever had a better time with Mickey than she was right now. They had finished eating and talking and now sat in silence, just content with the other's presence.

"Rose." Mickey's voice broke the silence. She turned to look at him and saw that his eyes were shining. "I hope you know this, but I love you more than anything."

Rose smiled and drew in a shaky breath. "I love you too, Mickey. I wish this night could last forever."

"Forever," Mickey echoed, shifting a bit, though in the waning light it was hard for Rose to see what he was doing. "I think that might be possible."

"What are you talking about?" Rose managed, her breath suddenly leaving her as her thoughts raced with his words.

Mickey held something in front of her, a small box. With trembling fingers Rose opened it and found herself staring at a ring, upon which glowed a diamond. Tears pricked at her eyes as she looked up at her boyfriend.

"Rose Tyler…" Mickey seemed choked with emotion as well. "Will you spend forever with me?" He let the implications of the words sink in before adding, "Will you marry me?"

Her life was changed with his request, and with her answer.

"Yes!" She threw herself into his arms, half laughing and half crying with happiness. She had started out the day not expecting anything, and it had turned out to be the best day of her life. She hoped fervently that it wasn't a dream. "Yes, _yes_!"

Mickey smiled, clearly relieved. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.

"I love you too, Mickey."

The moon itself seemed to smile down upon the two lovers.

On the other side of London, one man had never felt so alone.


	3. Kept In Mind

**Disclaimer: You know…****Also, the dialogue in the dream comes from "The Army of Ghosts", though it may not be exact.**

**Author's Note: I have nothing much to say about this chapter other than I hope you enjoy it! And thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, or added this story to favorites/alerts! **

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**The Doctor paced around his TARDIS restlessly. His level of agitation was such that he might have thrown anything within reach, had he such possessions to throw. But the Doctor found that he had very little in his grasp these days. The only thing he could think to throw was his sonic screwdriver, and he didn't want to do that for fear of breaking it. That little tool was the most reliable thing in the universe.

_Certainly more reliable than the TARDIS_, he thought, not without bitterness. The TARDIS had been very reliable until recently. He had been travelling the universe, looking for a way out. Specifically, a way into another universe. He knew parallel universes existed and what better way to escape the things that hurt him than to go where those things couldn't reach him?

His efforts to abandon this universe were stopped at every turn until finally, a few days ago, the TARDIS had broken down and landed him smack in the middle of London in some alleyway that he hoped wouldn't be discovered. Part of the controls had erupted into sparks. In the process of trying to 'fix' the TARDIS the Doctor had ripped and burned his old suit beyond repair, and most of his other clothes were burned. Worse, the TARDIS did not seem to want to be fixed.

The Doctor was stranded in London.

He had been there for a week before he dared venture out. He didn't want to see humans, didn't want to talk to them. It wasn't just humans, it was everyone. The Doctor just wanted to be alone, but in his present situation it seemed that he couldn't be.

He _knew_ that the girl in the shop earlier had been interested in him. That was a problem. He hoped never to see her again. During his time at the department store he had hoped she would leave him alone, but she never left his side. Perhaps she thought he had _needed_ her help, but he hadn't.

He was the Doctor. He didn't _need_ help.

He had left as soon as possible. The experience was too close for comfort.

He didn't only fear humans getting close to him. He feared feeling for them. Humans were the one species that had fascinated him the most in the past. They were the species most capable of getting him to care.

He didn't want to care.

If he cared, he would start saving them.

That couldn't happen.

"The Doctor is dead," he muttered. The TARDIS, on this issue, remained silent.

The Doctor suddenly brought his fist down on the controls, which made a cracking sound and showered sparks. "Stop this nonsense!" he snapped. "I know Time Lord technology is better than _this_! There's no way the controls are so badly damaged that I can't get off this planet!"

There was no response. He didn't quite expect one, though he knew that the TARDIS itself was smart enough to sense his distress. It had a heart; it was alive, in a strange way. He was convinced that it was keeping him here, though he couldn't possibly understand why.

"He's dead!" he screamed. "Do you hear me? The Doctor is _dead_!"

This, too, was met with silence.

* * *

Rose drifted to sleep with a smile on her face.

Her mother, Jackie, had been so happy for her. They had spent a good five minutes hugging each other and jumping around and squealing in delight like they were little girls instead of fully grown women. Jackie had even begun to picture the wedding and make plans. Rose was delighted that her mother approved.

Still, the emotions of the night had drained her, so it came as no surprise when she fell asleep the moment she lay down in bed.

_She was standing wit__h a man in the middle of a clearing. No, it wasn't a clearing. She was standing on rock and above her the evening sky loomed, vast and brilliant. To her side was a man, a strangely familiar man._

_Dimly, Rose recognized him as the man from the department store, the one who had bought the suit. But in this dream he seemed so much more to her. He was wearing a pinstriped suit like the one she had recommended and was staring up at the sky, at the expanse of spaces that, to Rose, seemed otherworldly._

_Then he turned to her, smiling, and she felt breathless. _

_His smile was wonderful. There was nothing of the cold, distant man from the department store. No anger, no fear, just joy._

"_So, how long are you going to __stay with me?" he asked, his tone casual, but his eyes betraying something more serious._

"_Forever," Rose found herself answering without the slightest hesitation. She drew closer to him, seeking his warmth, as he smiled at her, apparently pleased with her answer. _

_She tilted her head upward to look at the emerging stars…_

"Rose, wake up!"

Rose abruptly sat up, pulled almost violently out of the dream that had given her such a _wonderful_ feeling. She couldn't explain it. As her mother's face came into focus before her the last signs of sleep faded, leaving her to remember the night before.

She was engaged to Mickey. She was going to be married.

A frown. Then why, in her dream, had she pledged to stay forever with a man she hadn't known for five minutes? And why had it felt so _right_?

Jackie tilted her head to look at her daughter. "Are you alright, Rose? You look tired. Perhaps you should call in sick today…"

"No!" Rose shook her head. "No, mum, I have to work. I-I'm fine, really."

Jackie sighed and straightened. "Fine, but hurry up. You'll be late."

"Yes, mum." Rose rolled her eyes as she stood up, stretching slightly. The dream disturbed her more than anything, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Such doubts had no place in the new life she would soon have.

* * *

Work was boring.

Rose laughed to herself as she folded clothes. She had expected everything to change all at once, but it was becoming quickly apparent that change took time. She certainly wasn't going to get a new job anytime soon, although she might have liked a better job. The truth was, aside from getting married, she didn't know what to do with her future.

She never had, really.

A part of her wanted to travel the world and see everything, but she hadn't the money and she was pretty sure most jobs wouldn't allow her such things. And now that she was getting married, her chance was gone.

Had she travelled before, she would have regretted losing her independence. But she hadn't travelled much, so the regret was smaller than it might have been.

_Still…_

Her shift was almost over. Mickey said that he might stop over her house and bring food, which meant that Rose would have to go straight home.

She waited out the last fifteen minutes of her work day before heading out into the cool evening air. Last night seemed like a strange dream, but she _did_ feel different. She was engaged now. There was that ring on her finger.

As she walked through a few side streets a strange noise reached her. taking her thoughts off the engagement ring. The noise grew louder. She didn't know what it could possibly be, but something compelled her to follow the sound.

The sound took her through smaller, less frequented streets and she nearly gave up her search for fear of being late for dinner. But it was unlike any she had ever heard and it seemed to go in and out and her curiosity got the better of her logic.

Finally, after a few minutes, she came across an alley and was a bit surprised at the result of her search. Making the noise was a blue, old-fashioned police call box.

"Well," she laughed to herself. "I wonder how one of those things got here."

The noise abruptly stopped.

Rose took a step closer and then, to her great surprise, the door to the call box _opened_.

"Oh…my," Rose breathed, as the man who stepped out was none other than the same man whom she had served in the store yesterday. He was even wearing his new suit.

The man seemed just as surprised to see her, but his surprise quickly turned into anger and he swore in some foreign language Rose didn't understand. After a moment of trying to calm himself, he snapped, "What are you doing here?"

"I-I heard a noise," Rose explained, unsure what she had done to make this man so upset. "I followed it and it led me here." She paused, looking him over. "What are you doing inside a phone booth?"

"Nothing," the man said, giving her a harsh glare. "You should go."

"Why?" Rose took a step forward. "What are you doing in there?"

"It doesn't concern you." The man turned around and started to walk back towards the box.

"And it concerns _you_?" Rose countered, finding her own annoyance rising, partially because she was remembering the dream about this man, which had been quite different from this, and partially because he was being infuriating. "I have every right to know what's in there. That's public property."

She began to walk forward but stopped when the man turned around and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine," he said. "You're right, it is public property. It's stupid, really. If you want to entertain yourself with that piece of junk, go ahead." He began to walk away.

Rose smirked. _That_ was a bluff if there ever was one. Undeterred, she moved forward until she reached the door. Grasping the handle, she turned back around.

The man was, unsurprisingly, still there. He looked furious.

"I'll do it," Rose said.

"What is wrong with you people?" the man asked, moving towards her. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Just tell me what you were doing inside this," Rose said, nodding towards the call box, "and I'll leave."

"No!" The man was now very close to her. "It's none of your business."

Rose sighed and began to pull, but the man stopped her, his hand on her arm.

Her eyes narrowed. "I have a boyfriend, you know, and he'll come after you." She wasn't entirely sure if this was true, but it sounded good.

The man did not look remotely affected by this. He was more focused on her hand, which was on the door. "Please," he said, a hint of anxiety in his voice. "Just leave me alone."

Rose sighed. He was desperate and she hated to play the villain in all this. She took her hand off the door but did not move. "On one condition."

The man ran a hand through his hair. "_What_?"

Rose glared at him. "Tell me your name."

The man sighed. "It's…" He hesitated. Then, as though he was extracting the words from the depths of his soul, as though it was _painful_, he murmured, "the Doctor."

"Are you kidding me?" Rose had been expecting something more…name-like. "That isn't a real name!"

"Fine," the man said, waving his hand. "John Smith."

"You've _got_ to be kidding!" Before Rose could demand he tell the truth, though, the man used his grip on her arm to turn her, reversing their positions so that he was the one nearest the door. With a quick movement he opened the door and slipped inside, slamming it shut before she could even get a look.

Rose found herself staring at the closed door, fuming. She tried the handle but it wouldn't open.

"Fine," she yelled. "I hope you like sleeping in a smelly call box!"

As she walked home, she had to laugh. "John Smith…He actually thought I'd believe him!" And then there was that other name, the Doctor.

Something was not right, though. When he had said that, he had sounded a lot more sincere, as though it was a reluctant truth.

_The Doctor._

It stuck in her mind, unwilling to disappear. This man was odd, she knew that, but she wanted to know why she couldn't stop thinking about him.

She wanted to know what was in the police call box and why it was so important.

"The Doctor," she muttered under her breath. "Doctor who?"

She had absolutely no idea, but she had a great desire to find out.


	4. A Strange Answer

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, ect.**

**Author's Note: No Doctor in this chapter, I'm afraid. It's basically just to move the plot forward. I'm not quite sure I like it, either, but it had to be done. I hope you enjoy it, and look for the next chapter soon-ish. **

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**"Rose, why are you late for dinner?"

Rose took this opportunity to completely ignore her mother as she breezed past her into the kitchen, where Mickey was leaning against the counter looking, well, hungry.

"Mickey!" Rose rushed towards him and gave him a quick hug. "Great to see you! I need your computer."

"Nice to see you too, Rose, and did I mention that your mum and I have made a lovely dinner…?"

Rose shook her head and continued breathlessly, "Not now, Mickey. I've got to look something up before I forget. You see, on the way home I came across this man who was in a call box…"

Jackie frowned at her daughter. "Rose, are you alright? Are you running a temperature?"

"No, mum!"

"She does look flushed," Mickey observed.

Rose gave an exasperated sigh. "I am _not_ sick! Anyway, this man, he told me his name is the Doctor…"

"The Doctor?" Jackie repeated. "That isn't a real name!"

"Of course it isn't! But the way he said it, it was like…I don't know. It sounded like it meant something to him, though not a good something. Just…like it caused him pain." Rose frowned, remembering the look on the man's face.

"So you want to look him up," Mickey concluded. "Well, you've certainly come to the right place." He turned to Jackie and said, "I'm really good with computers. Anything Rose needs, I can find it."

"That's just what I'm counting on," Rose said, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the living room. As Mickey went over to set up his lap-top, Rose sighed. "Maybe," she murmured, "there isn't anything special about it. Maybe I'm just being silly and that man is just mad. I could be wasting my time…"

"Have we got anything better to do than look up a mysterious mad man?" Mickey asked, laughing.

"Yes!" came a distraught voice from the kitchen. "You two could be having _my_ dinner!"

Rose and Mickey pointedly absorbed themselves in the start-up process of Mickey's computer and, while Rose's mum complained about their rudeness, Rose explained her encounter with the strange man and his call box.

* * *

"I can't believe it."

Mickey typed in some code that opened up another web page. "I know," he whispered. "Our government's got some strange stuff hidden."

"What I'd like to know," Jackie said from the background, "is how you've learned how to hack into government sights."

"Just call it a talent," Mickey replied, flashing her a brief smile.

"It's not that so much," Rose said, "as how many sites there are concerning the Doctor. I mean, even before we got to the government sites there were sites made by people like you and me just trying to figure out who he is. Except, he looks different on those sites. They call him the Doctor and say that he mysteriously appears but…he doesn't look like the man I saw."

"Well, maybe this man was lying?" Mickey suggested, typing in yet another code.

"No, I don't think so," Rose said. "He was in that call box and some of the sites mentioned a blue police call box."

"Perhaps he's the Doctor's brother or something," Mickey said. "If you see him again, you should ask him."

Rose sighed. "He didn't seem too keen on company."

Mickey was silent for a moment as he typed, and then—"Got it!" A new web page opened up and Rose was stunned by what she saw.

The page was completely devoted to the Doctor; apparently, the British Government had kept tabs on him. Except, their records went back _years_, and the pictures and descriptions were of several different men, but all fell under the same label: The Doctor. They stopped at a rather tall-looking man, close-shaven and wearing a leather jacket.

Similarly, there was a description of the police call box, which the Doctor apparently called the TARDIS. It seemed that several members of government had been in contact with the Doctor, whose primary purpose seemed to be the protection of Earth from—neither Rose nor Mickey could quite believe it—aliens.

"Look at this," Rose said, breathless, pointing towards the section after the last man. "It says here that the Doctor hasn't been sighted anywhere on Earth for a year, and neither has his TARDIS. It actually has the government…_worried_."

"You've got to be kidding me," Mickey said, staring at the screen in awe. "Our government thinks they're dealing with aliens and they need some bloke called the Doctor to do it for them, and they get worried when he leaves."

"That sounds right." Rose ran a hand through her hair. "That doesn't explain why there are several different men who have all been the Doctor. Does each man pass it down to another? Here—scroll down…"

Mickey did so and gasped.

He had come across something that resembled a medical file on the Doctor.

"Rose…I can't believe this."

Rose stared at the file and began to read aloud. "His real name is unknown though he sometimes goes by the name…John Smith. He is male. His species…is Time Lord." Her breath caught. "What is a Time Lord?"

"I don't know," Mickey whispered, "but keep going."

"His home planet...unknown. It's not Earth?" Rose took a shaky breath and continued, "Physical make-up: like that of a human but has two hearts…"

She and Mickey looked up from the screen and their eyes met. "So that means," Rose breathed, "that he isn't human, according to these people. Our…our government…is dealing with…an alien."

"Talk about out-sourcing jobs," Mickey muttered. "I don't like the look of this, Rose. You know what this says, right? Whenever the Doctor comes around there's usually something that needs saving, something he's protecting the Earth from. What if there's something coming?"

"What if it isn't him?" Rose countered. "He doesn't look like the men listed here!"

"None of them look like each other!" Mickey gestured towards the screen. "Even the government doesn't know everything. Look, what if the title of 'the Doctor' was passed down without the government knowing?"

"But…" Rose gestured towards the medical information. "This part makes it seem like there's only one man…So either the government only has information on one man, or we're dealing with ten different aliens called…Time Lords."

"I don't like the sound of that," Mickey shook his head. "We shouldn't even know this. We shouldn't have got involved. How do we know that man won't kill us?"

"He doesn't know we did this," Rose said. "But this…this only makes me even more curious." She stood up, straightening. "I'm going to get some answers."

"What?" Mickey cried. "You can't…you can't be serious!"

"I am," Rose said, eyeing him coolly. "You can either help me or let me do it, but I'm not going to let this go. I'm going to find out once and for all who this man is."

"And how are you going to do that?" Mickey asked, a touch of a challenge in his voice.

Rose smiled. "I'm going to spy on him."


	5. Possibility

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. ****Some quotes during the dream sequence are from (or paraphrased from) 'Doomsday'.**

**Author's Note: An update to start off the week. More Doctor, some Rose. Enjoy!**

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**A beeping noise filled the TARDIS.

The Doctor was so absorbed in his thoughts about the confrontation from earlier that he didn't even notice this beeping until a few minutes after it had started. At which point, he jumped up and strode over to the source, a screen.

There, on the screen, was what looked like the trajectory of a ship headed towards Earth.

"What is this?" the Doctor asked. "You can't leave the planet but you can show me other ships coming in. Why is that?"

The beeping, if possible, got louder as a read-out of the space-craft's speed appeared on screen.

"That's nice. It's going fast. And would you happen to know who this space craft belongs to?"

The answer appeared seconds later: Unknown.

"That's brilliant." The Doctor sighed and ran a hand over his face. He was tired. That girl…it had been entirely too close a call. The last thing he needed to worry about was another space craft. "Listen, while you're figuring out how long it will take that ship to get here, how about you try and fix yourself so that we can leave?"

Another readout appeared on screen. It seemed that there were mere days until the space craft was to land.

"You'd better hurry then." A pause. "Why am I seeing this, anyway?"

There was no answer. Only beeping.

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, I see. Yes, my TARDIS is confused. I used to want to receive this type of information. That used to be my job, to care about what was coming towards the Earth." He frowned. "I thought I had made it clear that it isn't my job anymore."

The screen zoomed in on a satellite image of the Earth. _It used to give you such pleasure to see it safe. It used to fascinate you._

The Doctor crushed the voice in his head. "I don't care what happens to them. This isn't my job—it never was. I was a fool to try and save the universe. If they want to survive so badly, let them save it themselves. I'm done."

The TARDIS had marked a projected point of landing for the space craft in bright red. London. _Of course_.

The Doctor suddenly reached forward and hit a button next to the screen, causing it to go black.

"Don't show me anymore of this stuff," the Doctor snapped. "Just get me out of here. The humans are on their own."

* * *

_Rose had never felt so devastated in her life. She had no idea why, but she was standing on a gray beach with the man who called himself the Doctor. He was directly in front of her, staring at her. She wanted to touch him but something told her to stay back._

_She noticed that he looked infinitely more accepting of her than he had when she had seen him in the alley. Almost as if it were a natural thing, to be with her._

_Vaguely, she wondered what she was doing on the beach. She was crying. _

"_I don't know what to say." _

_The Doctor smiled at her, but his smile was a sad one. He was leaving her. _

"_I-I love you!" The words tore from her throat but she had to say them. They were the truest words she had ever spoken. _

_The Doctor's expression did not change, but his eyes glowed a little brighter, and his voice seemed almost choked as he murmured, "Quite right, too." He paused, thinking. "And I suppose, if it's the last time I get to say it…" _

_Rose waited, expectant, seeing in his eyes something that looked like…_It can't be_. _

"_Rose Tyler…" And he vanished into thin air, leaving her behind on this miserable beach. _

_As the implications of what he had been about to say set in, Rose burst into sobs, hugging herself close. It seemed the cold, sharp air had bitten down to her very bones. There was no hope. The Doctor was gone forever. _

_She turned around. Her mother and Mickey were running towards her, ready to bring comfort. They knew how much she loved the Doctor. They knew that he had made her life better. The things that man had done…memories raced through her head, uncontrolled. _

_A world without the Doctor was the worst thing Rose could imagine._

_As though in a fog, she __heard her mother's soft words of comfort and felt Mickey's arms around her. She had held on to the slightest hope that the Doctor would find a way to bring her with him, but this one time he had failed. One time was enough. She was stuck, he was stuck, alone. _

"_Mum," Rose found the strength to whisper through her tears, "What was that?" _

_Her mother murmured, "A possibility, dear, just a possibility." _

"_What?" Rose whispered. A possibility? It had all seemed so real. _

"_Wake up." _

_With a gasp, Rose did. _

She couldn't understand the dream if she tried. Up until the point where her mother had said the whole dream was a possibility, Rose had felt it was very, very real. The loss had certainly been there, a hole in her heart. She had never felt emotions so strongly. Her love for the Doctor, her devastation at his leaving had all seemed so real.

There were tear tracks on her cheeks.

Rose wondered, as she climbed out of bed, if the dream actually meant something. Somehow, was she meant to have a future with this man? She had seen his eyes, seen the love in them that he held for her. She had felt the same thing towards him.

_No_, she thought. _I'm engaged. Don't be stupid._

Yet something in the back of her mind told her that it wasn't so stupid. It was this feeling that prompted her to set her plans for the day. After work, she would begin 'researching' (spying seemed too strange a word) the Doctor. She wouldn't stop until she had her answers.

She had to get things sorted out.


	6. Spyglass

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, ect.**

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed so far. I hope you enjoy this!**

**

* * *

**The Doctor had the strange feeling that someone was watching him.

It started the day after the TARDIS had shown him a space craft headed towards the Earth. That morning, sitting in the TARDIS, he had gotten chills up his spine and the distinct feeling that someone was right there. He turned and looked around, even got up and walked the perimeter, but he was completely alone.

Sometimes he wondered whether the TARDIS was more intelligent than he gave it credit for.

Still, the feeling bothered him enough to make him check the map of space again. The alien craft was still beyond Earth, certainly not anything to worry about at the moment.

The Doctor did not leave the TARDIS for the rest of the day, careful not to even open the door no matter how much he wanted to check. He was hoping that that girl, the one who had seen him yesterday, had forgotten all about him and his police call box. Not likely, but still…

The day after, however, he decided to leave to get some food. He was tired and all he really wanted was a little tea, but he had none. Things were fine until he was making his way back to the TARDIS; then he felt that same chill down his spine. He whipped around, nearly hitting passersby with his shopping bag, but no one was there. With a frown, he was forced to accept that he wasn't being followed and he returned back to his TARDIS.

All excursions out of his TARDIS for the next three days, whether it was merely one step out to see if everything was alright in his little alleyway or a farther walk to get something, resulted in the same feeling. It only grew stronger and stronger until the Doctor could no longer deny that someone was watching him.

Deliberately he began leaving the TARDIS for longer periods of time. He did not attract attention to himself. No, he wanted simply to see if he could find out who was watching him. And eventually he saw his chance.

He had decided to do a bit of window shopping, or pretend to do window shopping. While gazing at the display of one of the stores he saw, reflected in the glass, a familiar figure carefully come up behind him. She hid herself behind a phone booth but stuck her head out to watch. The Doctor made sure he memorized her features. The most prominent thing about her was her shoulder-length blonde hair. Everything else was blurred in the glass but he knew that was _her_.

She was spying on him.

The Doctor's heart sank and anger raged through him as he realized his plan to stay undetected hadn't worked at all. He could only hope she didn't know anything about his identity, otherwise he would be in trouble.

Unable to keep up the charade any longer, he turned, just in time to see her disappear behind the phone booth.

The Doctor had two options: he could confront her or he could let her go on thinking she hadn't been seen. Surely this close call had scared her; perhaps she wouldn't risk spying on him for a few days.

The Doctor smirked. In that period of time, he could find out more about her.

It was dangerous, really, that he had no idea who she was, especially when she had two important pieces of information on him. She knew he was called the Doctor and she had seen the TARDIS. He could only hope she wasn't smart enough to extensively look him up, but judging by her behavior that seemed unlikely.

He would have to find out about her and then, somehow, find a way to keep her from mentioning him to anyone.

Throwing a last, burning glare towards the phone booth to get his point across, the Doctor briskly made his way down the street, ready to begin his own spying campaign.

* * *

It all started at Henrik's.

The department store was normal enough and it was easy to blend in. All the Doctor needed to do was wait for her to get off work and then follow her home.

Henrik's was on Regent Street. Remaining inconspicuous there would be easy, as the street was often crowded with shoppers and tourists. But he had no doubt that she lived in a much less crowded part of the city, where he would gain much more attention by following her.

_Well_, he thought, _I'll just have to do it carefully._

He waited.

From his vantage point on the street (behind a telephone booth, of all things!) he saw her leave the store. He followed after letting her get ahead.

She led him winding through the streets. Apparently her walk was long. Then again, he couldn't be guaranteed that she was headed straight home. He would just have to be patient.

The Doctor sighed. He had noticed that over the years his patience had begun to wear thin.

It seemed, after awhile, that the girl was indeed leading him home. He stopped as they reached a sort of square of apartment buildings. Not daring to keep close to her, he watched as she walked to her flat, opening the door and disappearing inside.

With a sigh, the Doctor emerged from his hiding place. He could either wait all night for someone to emerge or he could find a way into the apartment now. There was a chance of his being discovered, but if he could get all the information he needed before that point then he was willing to risk it.

After a few moments he arrived at the door the girl had disappeared through. He glanced through an adjacent window; no one was in the room directly by the door, but he could hear dim voices.

Determined, the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pressed, pointing the end at the door knob. There was a satisfying click; the Doctor needed to only push open the door and he was inside.

There was a hallway that led to several rooms. The room to his left, the one with the window, seemed to be a living area of sorts. It was empty. He heard voices and he crept towards them. Taking a great risk, he chanced a glance into the room.

No one saw him. There were three people: the girl, an older but equally blonde woman, and a darker man who looked to be the same age as the girl. The room was a kitchen and they all seemed to be eating dinner.

The Doctor quietly moved on to another room, this time to his right. He pushed open the door and then closed it behind him before looking around.

The room was the girl's. He didn't know how he knew it, but he did. The colourful bed covers, the posters on the wall, among other things, the sort-of-messy way everything was organized, it all seemed very much like her. He made his way towards a drawer and picked up a piece of paper.

_Rose Tyler._

A chill ran up his spine.

This was the girl's name. And that other woman, that must have been her mother. Perhaps her father was at work, or perhaps she didn't have one. The boy…the Doctor was surprised to find a picture of him and Rose near the piece of paper. He turned towards the bed.

Her purse was there, just waiting to be opened.

He knew it was wrong to go through a lady's things, but she had violated him first. Sighing, he told himself that he wasn't looking for anything strange, just her identification. He found her wallet and pulled it out.

Her ID was in there. Her name, her date of birth, everything.

She was only nineteen, almost twenty.

So young, and she was wasting her time spying on him. What was so special about him? Didn't she have better things to do at nineteen?

With a sigh, the Doctor replaced the wallet and looked around the rest of the area. She had no computer in the room, but he knew it could be somewhere else in the house. Or she could have used a friend's. Or, worse for him, a library.

He glanced at the picture again. Rose and that guy…they looked so happy together. He had a feeling that they were really special to each other…

He shook his head. Had he just started to…feel something for the humans? Not possible. The Doctor started towards the door, feeling the sudden need to leave, to rid himself of all contact with humans, when he heard a voice call out, "Right, mum, I'm getting changed!"

The Doctor's breath caught. _How long have I been here? No matter, though!_ He glanced around for a hiding place and had just leapt for the closet when the door opened and the lights switched on.

Rose stepped into the room in a rather carefree manner, which made it all the worse when her eyes landed upon him and she stiffened, and the only sound was the door clicking shut behind her.

It was certainly a compromising situation. The Doctor's hand rested on the closet door and, slowly, he pulled it away and forced himself to look straight at Rose.

"It-it's you," she whispered. Then, much louder, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Now, hold on a minute," the Doctor said, holding his hands up.

"No, _you_ hold on!" Rose looked furious as she stepped towards him. "What are you doing in my room? Do you know what that is? That's illegal! I could call the cops on you! Why are you in here, anyway? Were you spying on me?"

"Yes!" the Doctor cried. "Yes, that is exactly what I was doing." Rose started to open her mouth again but he silenced her with a look and added, "But only because you spied on me first."

"Well, you were prowling around in an alleyway," Rose muttered. "What did you expect?"

"The point is, you spied on me when I told you to leave me alone. And you probably know more than you've seen, don't you?" She remained silent. "Well, Rose Tyler, answer me!"

Rose looked shocked that he knew her name, but she recovered enough to answer, chin tilted up in defiance, "I know you're the Doctor."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Yeah? And what does that mean to you?"

Rose did something quite unexpected—she smiled. It was a chilling smile. "There are things you don't want people to know, I'll bet. Things you're trying to keep a secret." She took a deep breath. "Do the words 'Time Lord' mean anything to you?"

The Doctor felt his breath leave him. "Oh, _you_…"

"And they say that the Doctor's disappeared," Rose continued, clearly pleased that her words had affected him so. "The British government has been keeping tabs on several men who all call themselves the Doctor, who have all stepped in to save the world at one point or another. But they haven't seen anyone called the Doctor in _months_."

"Well, that's interesting," the Doctor murmured, fixing Rose with a steady glare. "So, what do you expect from me, Rose Tyler? Do you think I'm that man? The one who saves the world? Are you going to tell the British government all about me? Would you really do that?" He stepped closer to her. "I think you wouldn't because you're afraid. You don't know what to make of me." His voice grew low, threatening. "If I can get into your house without your noticing then what else can I do? Do you really think I'm scared of your government? Do you think you can do anything to control me? You don't know what to do because you don't know what I'll do if you make me angry. And I can tell you that you do _not_ want me to be angry."

Rose stared at him, lips trembling as though she wasn't quite sure what to say. "You…you're not the same man," she whispered.

"Not what you expected, eh?" the Doctor said, giving her a cold smile. "That's life, Rose Tyler. You're bound to be disappointed."

"No…" Rose looked distraught. She ran a hand through her hair and looked up at him, really looking at him. "You look the same but…how you were in my dream was…different."

"Dream?" This truly caught the Doctor off-guard.

"I suppose they didn't mean anything, then," Rose said with a wet laugh. "I was just being silly." She took a deep breath. "But…are you the Doctor? Just tell me that one thing, please."

The Doctor gave her a long look and she felt as though she had been covered in freezing water. The way he stared at her—his eyes were cold chips of ice, his jaw hardened. He had nothing of the warm, loving look of the man in her dreams. This man…he scared her, if she was honest.

He leaned close to her, suddenly, and she resisted the urge to pull away. His breath brushed her ear as he whispered, "The Doctor is dead."

Rose closed her eyes and shuddered. The way he said it…as though he was the killer. She opened her eyes and was shocked to find him gone.

Rose shook her head. If the Doctor was dead, then who was this man?


	7. A Deadly Encounter

**Disclaimer: I did not create Doctor Who; therefore, I own nothing Doctor Who. **

**Author's Note: Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**"So that's it, then? You're just giving up?" Mickey stared into his fiancée's face, confused.

"Yeah," Rose said. "I'm giving up."

"Why?" When there was no reply, Mickey shook his head and added, "Rose, this man is the most interesting thing that's ever happened to either one of us. What made you give up?"

"He did," Rose murmured. "He told me…" She faltered, coming to a stop in the middle of the street.

"He told you what?" Mickey asked, also ignoring the people walking around them.

"He told me that the Doctor is dead." Rose shook her head. "I have no idea how, though. Is he lying to me? What does that _mean_, anyway?"

"The only way to find out is to ask him."

"But he won't tell me!"

Mickey put his hands on Rose's shoulder. "Look, if you want I'll talk to him. And…when _did_ you talk to him? You were with me last night for dinner."

"It was after dinner," Rose muttered, pulling out of Mickey's grip.

"And he told you this but didn't bother to tell you who he really is?" Mickey asked, his voice taking on an edge.

Rose decided not to tell him about the threatening manner in which the Doctor had told her these things. She merely nodded and, at Mickey's incredulous look, added, "We can't keep wasting time on this! I'll be late for work!"

"But he told you before that he was the Doctor!" Mickey insisted.

"You'll be late too!" Rose quickened her pace. "We'll talk about this later!"

"Fine," Mickey said.

Rose didn't respond. She had already left him behind.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set over London as Rose walked home. She had planned to meet Mickey after work, but he had gotten caught up at his own job and would be late. Rose had to settle for walking home alone. It wasn't anything new, and to be honest she was a bit relieved; she didn't really want to talk to Mickey about her encounter with the Doctor.

As she neared her street something caught her eye. She looked up and saw something flying. It wasn't a plane or a helicopter. It was a copper colour and like nothing she had ever seen before. It seemed to be hovering, lower and lower until it disappeared behind a building.

Without thinking, Rose began to run towards where the thing had disappeared. She rounded the corner of the building and stopped short.

Sitting in the middle of a field, to the right of a playground area, was a strange looking vessel. It wasn't huge, but it was larger than the police call box Rose had seen the Doctor step out of. She stood at the edge of the small field, waiting.

Nothing happened.

Tentatively, Rose took a few steps forward. Still nothing happened. She took a few steps more until she found herself standing next to the strange craft.

There was nothing. No noise, no movement, nothing to indicate that there was anything even controlling the thing. Curious, Rose reached out a hand and touched it.

A hissing noise filled the air. Shocked, Rose withdrew her hand, only to find a glowing handprint there to mark where she had touched the craft. Suddenly, there was noise. There was _movement_.

Rose turned around and ran. She hid behind a bush and peered through the leaves. The strange space craft was now smoking slightly and she glanced back at her hand, which was not changed. She wondered exactly what she had done by touching the craft.

A different noise caught her attention. She looked up and her breath stopped.

Out of the craft came two robots. Robots were the only way Rose could describe them, though they were unlike any robot Rose had ever seen. They had a coppery surface to them, with extensions that could have served as two arms. One looked rather like a cake-mixer, the other like a plunger of sorts, and Rose would not have taken them seriously had she heard about them from another source. Their heads were smaller than their bodies, with a blue eye-like thing extending outward and lights at the top.

"The ship has been activated," the first said in a voice that grated on Rose's nerves. It sounded very automated.

"Scanning the activation sight now," the second added, turning its eye-stalk towards the place where Rose had put her hand.

She waited, holding her breath.

Two things happened at once.

The first was that the robot doing the scanning said, "Scan complete. The ship was activated by a human handprint. We have reached Earth."

As the robot said this, Rose heard footsteps and saw, in her limited field of vision, a woman slowly walking towards the robots.

"What is this?" the woman murmured. Then, louder, "What are you? Is this some sort of trick?"

The robot closest to her seemed to yell, "Identify yourself!" Rose noted that the lights on its head illuminated when it spoke.

"I will _not_! What kind of foolish thing is this?" She glared at them. "Well?"

"Daleks do not answer to humans," the first robot said. "You will identify yourself!"

_Daleks_, Rose thought.

"She did not activate the ship," the second robot…Dalek, said. "She is non-essential. She will be exterminated."

The first Dalek raised its 'arms' as it stared the woman down. "Exterminate!"

A bright, blue light shot out from the Dalek, hitting the woman and frying her before she fell to the ground, lifeless. Rose had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming aloud.

"I shall search the area."

Rose watched as one of the Daleks moved away from her and the other moved back inside the ship. When she was almost certain both were out of range, she stood up and ran as fast as she could.

She didn't really understand what was happening, but she couldn't ignore what she had just seen. A woman, killed by robots that called themselves Daleks! She could only hope that no one else crossed their paths, but she knew that was unlikely. The Daleks seemed to be content with staying, and they seemed to have no qualms about killing anyone.

A turn around a corner and a swift run down an alleyway brought Rose in front of the familiar blue box. Taking a deep breath, she knocked several times on the door. Hard.

The Doctor appeared before her, shock first registering on his face, followed swiftly by anger. "I thought I told you to leave me alone," he growled, eyes flashing.

"I need to talk to you!" Rose said, pushing past him, past the door despite his resistance and into the call box…

…Which was not a call-box at all. Rose found herself rooted to the entrance as she glanced around a room that looked like the inside of an alien space craft and was too big to be a simple call box.

"What on Earth…"

A door slammed behind her, and she heard the Doctor's voice, clearly furious. "What the hell do you think you're doing, just barging in here like that? Is this another attempt to find out about me? Well, here you go! I hope you're not disappointed!"

"This…it's bigger…how on Earth?" Rose stammered.

The Doctor walked around so he could face her, blocking her view of everything. "It's called the TARDIS. Surely you've come across it in your research."

"Yes," Rose murmured. "But there were no pictures of the inside, just…"

"TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. That means, it travels through time and space." The Doctor glared at her. "It isn't working now, though. What do you want?"

The question, sharp as it was delivered, brought Rose back to reality. "I was on my way home and I saw a-a space ship of sorts land in a park. And I went up to it when it didn't do anything, and I touched it, and it just activated and out came these robot things that called themselves Daleks and they killed a woman and now I think they're going to kill more people and…" She looked up at him, waiting, hoping.

"And?" the Doctor asked, expression unchanging.

"They _killed_ her!" Rose cried. "They killed her just because she wasn't important according to their rules, and they're going to kill more people! Please, you have to do something. You're the only person I can think of who would be able to help. I know you said the Doctor is dead, but that can't be true. You…you must be him, you said so yourself."

"That Doctor and the Doctor I am are two different people," the Doctor told her. "I've given up trying to save people long ago. If it isn't something from beyond that tries to kill any type of life form, they do it to themselves. Humans are no exception." He eyed her wearily. "Things just have to take their natural course. I was wrong to ever interfere." With that, he turned away, headed for the center of his TARDIS.

Rose could not move, this time from fury. "Is that it then? People are _dying_ and you're not going to help them, even when you're the only hope they have, the only one who can save them. That is the _cruelest_—"

The Doctor unexpectedly raced back towards her until they were face-to-face, only inches apart. "_You_ were the one who activated the ship. You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? And now, because of what you did, the whole world is going to be destroyed and taken over by the Daleks. Do you know how many times I've fought them and how many times they've come back? Perhaps they could have been contained, but _you_ set them free, _you_ set them loose on the human race…"

Tears welled in Rose's eyes and she struggled to keep them at bay. "It…it was a _mistake_." Her voice grew stronger. "Not like what you're doing. What you're doing is deliberate _murder_!"

"No, it was a _mistake_ to let the humans and everyone else in the universe think they could depend on me," the Doctor hissed. "I've seen people die, more than you could ever imagine. People die no matter what, even when I win the battle. There is always loss. I'm smarter than I was back then. I realized that you can't stop death, just like you can't stop time. It's going to happen. It isn't murder. It's life."

"It's murder if it can be prevented," Rose insisted, her anger matching his. "You're telling me that you would be fine with everyone dying because death is natural. Is that right? Well, is it natural for humans to die at the hands of Daleks?"

"If not Daleks, something else," the Doctor snapped. "Death is rarely natural in the sense you're speaking of."

Rose took a step back, staring at the man before her. She couldn't believe her eyes. "So that's it, then."

"Yes," the Doctor said, folding his arms over his chest and giving her a long, hard look. "That's it. Accept it and move on. I have."

"So you don't care about these people at all, who have worked so hard, who are going to be killed by _robots_." Rose laughed, but there were tears in her eyes. "Robots! Without emotion, without feeling, without anything but that instinct to take over and kill. Cold and merciless. That's who'll rule the Earth. Wow, I…This is our future."

"The Doctor is dead, Rose Tyler. I told you this."

"No." Rose shook her head, her voice breaking. "No, no, no. The Doctor has suffered a fate worse than death. You've become just like them—no, you've become _worse_!" She bit her lip. "Imagine that…the great Doctor is as cold and merciless as a killer robot. Willing to watch people die and not caring at all. I wonder what all those people who looked up to you, who are probably now hoping for you to come…I wonder what they'd say."

"Did I disappoint you again?" the Doctor asked.

Rose glared at him. "Yeah. You did."

"Good." The Doctor turned away from her and murmured, "Humans have been disappointing me for centuries. It's time I returned the favor." He paused before adding, "Now leave."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "But I bet not all humans have disappointed you, just a few. Why punish everyone for those mistakes?"

"_Leave_."

Rose smirked. "Does it please you, knowing that you'll be a worse disappointment than any human ever was?"

Silence. Rose's smirk widened. "I see," she intoned. "It doesn't. Well, have fun knowing you're responsible for the end of the human race."

Turning, without sparing a glance to see how her comments affected the Doctor, she exited the TARDIS. It was only until she was outside that she allowed her smirk to fall from place and the tears to flow.

She could only allow herself grief for so long, though. Pushing herself away from the TARDIS after a few moments and drying her eyes, she began a swift journey home.

If the Doctor wasn't going to do anything, she could at least try.


	8. Torn

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. **

**Author's Note: This being AU, the hierarchy of the Daleks may be different. AU Mickey is also braver than his counterpart. This taking place a year after Rose would have originally met the Doctor, I figured that Mickey might have matured somewhat.  
**

**

* * *

**Rose called Mickey on her cell-phone and, calmly as she could, explained the situation.

"Why is it that you manage to come up with the most unbelievable things?" Mickey asked. "What do you want us to do?"

"Something, anything," Rose said. "The Doctor isn't an option now. I think…maybe I can talk to the Daleks."

"You said they killed a woman for no good reason," Mickey protested. "What makes you think they'll listen to you?"

"I activated their ship."

"And they're supposed to be thankful?"

"No." Rose sighed. "But maybe they'll recognize me? Never mind. Listen. You know that playground near my flat?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm almost there. Go there, but stay hidden. I don't want the Daleks to see you just yet, but I want you to be there in case I need help."

Over the phone, Mickey laughed. "This is _insane_. But fine, I'll be there."

"Good." Rose snapped her cell-phone shut and tried not to think about the way the Dalek had fried that woman…

* * *

The Daleks were still in the field.

Rose took a deep breath as she thought about what she was going to do. She knew next-to-nothing about these creatures, only that they were impatient and deadly. She would have to tread carefully. She hoped her involvement earlier would be of benefit to her.

The ship looked rather inactive now and she made her way towards it. A noise from behind caused her to turn around, only to see Mickey crouching behind a bush. He gave a small wave and then disappeared.

It was dark. Rose hoped the Daleks would have a hard time seeing because she could barely see anything.

She waited.

A noise from behind the ship caught her attention. Something was coming and she stiffened as a Dalek, lights blinking, appeared.

"Identify yourself!"

"I'm Rose Tyler," Rose answered, "and you're a Dalek." She squinted as the Dalek shined a light in her eyes.

"You are a human female," the Dalek said. "Scanning."

Rose wondered what it was scanning her for. She got her answer a second later when it added, "This is the human female that activated our ship."

"Just what do you want?" Rose asked. "Why did you kill that woman before?"

"Daleks do not answer human questions," the Dalek droned in its maddening voice. "You will come with us or you will be exterminated."

Rose sighed. "Fine, I'll come. Just hold on a moment."

"You will come now!" The Dalek raised its arm and Rose recognized the weaponry.

With no other choice, she yelled, "Mickey, go to the Doctor and tell him they've got me!"

Rose felt a tingling sensation up and down her whole body and noticed, with a shock, that she was glowing. At the same time, the Dalek yelled, "Movement detected! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Rose wanted to shout but everything around her disappeared and materialized into something else.

Gasping, Rose realized she was now surrounded by Daleks, and there was no way out.

* * *

Mickey heard the Dalek yelling and had seen Rose glow and disappear. He could not explain the things he had seen, but he knew that if Rose was to live he had to get the Doctor, and fast.

He ran, and something like a beam of light narrowly missed him, hitting a trash bin instead and causing it to explode. Mickey ran faster, trying to remember where Rose had said the TARDIS was located. He raced around corners, nearly knocking into people, blindly turning into street-after-street. Somehow, by a miracle, he found himself staring at the blue police call box.

With only the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

It flew open, causing Mickey to jump back. A man, the Doctor, emerged in the doorway. "Who are you?"

Mickey took a step forward. "My name is Mickey Smith and I need your help."

The Doctor shook his head. "What makes you think I can help?"

"You're the Doctor."

The Doctor groaned. "Does _everyone_ know who I am? Who sent you?"

"Rose Tyler," Mickey answered. "She was taken by the Daleks and I need your help to get her before she gets killed."

"She's probably already dead."

Mickey stared at the man before him. "She isn't dead," he said, narrowing his eyes. "But she might be soon. You're the only one who knows about these…things. I've seen your background…well, sort of. Still, you have to help her."

"I'm not going to help her." The Doctor's face held no emotion. He began to retreat.

"She's my fiancée!" Mickey yelled. "We're going to get married! It's your fault, you know! She went to the Daleks because _you_ wouldn't!"

The look the Doctor gave him was burning. "She is not my responsibility and she had a choice! She didn't have to go to the Daleks and she certainly didn't have to ask me to deal with them. Nor did she have to send _you_."

"You'll just let her die?"

"Death is a natural part of life…"

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were the one in danger, would you?" Mickey asked. "Is that it? Is it that you can't die?"

The Doctor laughed, which set Mickey on edge. "I'm perfectly capable of dying. You, however, aren't capable of accepting that Rose is going to—"

Mickey punched him.

The action came out of his pent up fear and frustration and anger towards the Doctor. His fist caught the Doctor's cheek and the other man stumbled backwards into his TARDIS. Mickey followed him inside but was stopped by the appearance.

"It's…_wow_!"

The Doctor regained his balance, one hand on his cheek. "What the hell did you do that for?" he yelled.

Mickey managed to tear his eyes from the TARDIS interior to settle his gaze on the Doctor. "To knock some sense into you. I don't know what Rose told you, but it obviously didn't work. So here's what _I'm_ going to tell you: help me, or else I'll lead the Daleks here."

"I don't care."

"Yes, you do." Mickey stared into the Doctor's eyes.

"I can't save her." The Doctor's eyes held a vacant look now, almost as if his thoughts were not with Mickey anymore.

"Why not?"

"In the end I can't save any of them," the Doctor said, eyes snapping back to Mickey. "The Daleks will be back, Rose will die one day, something else will happen…"

"Why did you start saving the universe in the first place, then?" Mickey asked. "What made you do it?"

The Doctor frowned. "I was foolish and compassionate. I didn't know that it was all for nothing."

Mickey glared at him. "Or maybe you knew that this was not the way people were meant to die. That you could save them from being taken away before their time. That you could bring some justice and order to the universe because no one else was."

"Perhaps," the Doctor murmured.

"The universe needs you," Mickey continued. "We need you, no matter how much you try to deny it. And I know you say you don't care, but you do. If you cared once you still care now. Would you really like to not care? You'd be like a Dalek!"

"That's what she said," the Doctor sighed. "Rose, I mean. She said that, too."

"She's with them," Mickey pressed, "and you can't help yourself—you care that she's with them."

"It always comes back to her," the Doctor murmured. "It almost seems like we're drawn to each other." He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing. "But no, I can't save her. I can't save you. I'm done. I'm through. I can't do this again."

"You may have suffered," Mickey said, picking up on the Doctor's hesitation, "but don't you think it was worth it? When you look at the people who're still alive because of you, doesn't it make you feel good?"

"There are many who have died because of me," the Doctor said. "And many who would mess it up again."

"But _still_."

The Doctor stopped pacing. "I can't."

"Yes," Mickey insisted, "you can. What else are you going to use your Time Lord powers for?"

The Doctor seemed slightly shocked that Mickey knew this, but he brushed it off. "I can't, Mickey. I told myself I wouldn't. Just leave."

"You have to."

"I don't have to!" The Doctor was growing angry again. "Just leave me alone! I can't do it! I'm not that man."

"Yes you are," Mickey snapped. "You _are_ that man. You're just too afraid to be him. At least he was braver. You—you're just a coward. You can't face life."

"I'm not a coward," the Doctor told him. "I've just realized the truth."

"No," Mickey said. "You're a coward."

The Doctor clenched his teeth. "Just…go. Now."

"I'm not leaving until you come with me," Mickey said, drawing himself up to full height in an attempt to appear more confident than he felt. "I don't know who you are, other than that you're the Doctor. But right now you're a really shoddy Doctor compared to the others, if what the government writes about you Doctors is right."

The Doctor's hands clenched into fists. "I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish."

"Apparently nothing," Mickey said. "But Rose has faith in you. Even though you turned her away, she still has faith in you. That's why she sent me to get you. She knows you can help."

The Doctor looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. He was very still for a moment and the whole room seemed to wait. Then he looked at Mickey, a strange expression on his face. "I'm going to regret this."

"No, you won't, I promise," Mickey said, smiling.

"Well, then, come on," the Doctor snapped, turning abruptly and heading towards the center of the TARDIS.

Thanking every single god he could think of, Mickey followed.

* * *

Rose stood in the middle of the Daleks and did her best to appear fearless. It was hard work, though, considering they could shoot her at any time.

"Here is the prisoner," one of the Daleks said. "She is the one who activated our ship."

Another Dalek appeared, this one taller than the others, and different. Instead of the coppery outward appearance, this one was black.

"I am the Leader of the Daleks and you will answer to me," this Dalek told her.

"Go ahead then," Rose said, stealing herself. "What do you Daleks want?"

She wasn't quite prepared for the question.

"Where is the Doctor?"


	9. In the Hands of Humans

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I just spend my free time writing about them. **

**Author's Note: Two things. I just realized I don't like writing the Daleks (although I like watching them). Therefore this chapter might be a bit...awkward. But it serves a purpose. The second thing: I don't know if anyone reading this also read my Star Wars one-shot 'The Other Way', but if they are (have?), I'd just like to say that I'm actually going to continue it. Teachers were kind and didn't give much work, so I have more free time. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and look for more to come soon. And Happy Holidays!  
**

**

* * *

**"The Doctor?" Rose repeated, stunned. Her cheeks began to burn red as nervousness made itself known. "I have no idea—"

"Her body temperature is rising," the Dalek closest to her remarked. "She is lying. She called for the Doctor earlier."

"Do not lie," the Master Dalek said, "or you will be exterminated."

"I'm not lying," Rose said, with more force than she felt herself capable of considering she was surrounded by deadly creatures. "I don't know if he's really the Doctor or not. But maybe…you can help me with that. You lot seem to know who he is."

The request was made mostly out of a bid to buy time, but Rose found that she really did want to know who this man was and if the Daleks could help her, then perhaps her kidnapping wouldn't have turned out to be such a terrible thing.

"We know the Doctor," the Master Dalek answered. "Daleks, show the human female the Doctor. Show her how he could not defeat us."

A screen appeared, seemingly from nowhere, in the center of the room. Rose stared as an image appeared and, amazed, she watched as a scene unfolded.

* * *

The security cameras of wherever this had taken place had captured a lot of detail, but Rose was unsure of what was going on. Then sound flooded the area as well.

The man in the middle of the image wore a black leather jacket and was close-shaven, and Rose recognized him as the ninth man on the list of men the government had labeled 'the Doctor' in their files.

_So this is how the Daleks know him,_ she thought. Out loud, she asked, "So, that is the Doctor?"

"The Doctor has changed appearances several times," the Master Dalek said. "This is as the Daleks last saw him."

Rose continued to watch as the man, the Doctor, worked hard to put something together that involved a lot of wires. Behind him, a girl paced. She had dark hair and pale skin and she seemed rather nervous.

The Doctor connected a few wires and said, "Almost done. If I can do this, I can reverse the polarity of the Dalek's weapons, causing them to backfire onto the Daleks themselves if they try to fire. How much time do I have?"

The girl looked at a device in her hand and answered, "Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes," the Doctor repeated, shocked. "I thought they would find us sooner."

"Well, you _did_ use the TARDIS to hide from them," the girl pointed out. "I doubt they have the technology to find the landing point of the TARDIS quickly."

The Doctor gave a short laugh. "You don't know the Daleks, then." He continued to move and attach wires. "Thank you for helping, by the way. Always. You've always been so helpful. You remind me…that I'm not alone."

The girl turned away for a moment and, in a tight voice, said, "Seven minutes."

The Doctor seemed a bit confused at her lack of response but returned to his work determined as ever, it seemed, to finish.

The girl walked over to one of the doors while he was distracted and, with only the slightest amount of hesitation, reached her hand out and pressed a button.

The door slid open and the girl stepped back. Rose was shocked to see two Daleks enter the room, their blue eye-stalks swiveling to target the Doctor.

The Doctor himself dropped his bundle of wires, stunned. His eyes found the girl and the confusion on his face was strong. "You told me we had seven minutes. What…?"

"The human female has given the Daleks your location in exchange for her life," the first Dalek said. "You will be exterminated."

The Doctor's expression turned harsh. "You betrayed me," he said. The girl, slowly, nodded. "I could save the human race by getting rid of these Daleks and instead you betrayed me to save your own skin. You didn't think my plan would work?"

The girl shook her head. "If it isn't one thing, it's another. You're always traveling and always battling other creatures and always putting the lives of others at risk."

"You had a choice," the Doctor snapped. "You could have asked to return home at any time."

"But I had to stop you," the girl explained, her face reflecting the same determination the Doctor's had only moments before. "People are drawn to you because you're fascinating, but how many have died trying to help you? I knew you would only find another companion, another human to put in danger. I couldn't let that happen, which is why the Daleks will kill you."

"None of my companions have died," the Doctor said. "You're making a mistake."

"I am not."

"You'll be left here with the Daleks. You won't be able to return home."

The girl leveled her gaze with the Doctor. "I came to terms with that awhile ago."

The Doctor shook his head. "I _trusted _you."

The girl's expression was emotionless. "Your mistake."

"Enough!" the Dalek interrupted. "You will be exterminated _now_!"

The Doctor stood straight and faced the Dalek, his eyes completely devoid of anything. They looked…empty.

"I suppose you're right, in a way," the Doctor said. "If this is how humans are, if they can't be trusted, then I suppose the human race shouldn't be saved. My death will be doing the universe a service."

A blue light shot out from the Dalek and hit the Doctor, and his tall form crumbled to the ground.

The girl turned to the Daleks. "I have kept my end of the bargain. I only ask that you give me hospitality."

The second Dalek turned towards her. "The human female is no longer essential. She will be exterminated."

"What?" the girl's eyes widened. "You can't! You promised!"

"Daleks do not make promises to humans!"

Another flash of light, and the girl was down. The two Daleks left the room, leaving behind two dead.

Rose found herself feeling even more confused, but then she saw the Doctor move. His movements looked slow and pained, but he managed to crawl to a point off-screen. Then the image shut off.

She turned to the Daleks. "So that is the Doctor. But he isn't the same man who told me that he was the Doctor."

"The Doctor can change his appearance," the Master Dalek said by way of explanation. "Time Lord powers include the power to regenerate."

"Regenerate?" Rose repeated. "What's that?"

"The Time Lords can change their appearance to stop death," the Master Dalek explained. "The Doctor has regenerated."

Rose gasped as what the Daleks were implying dawned upon her. "You think that when you killed the Doctor in that video you showed me, he changed—er—regenerated into another person?"

"The Daleks did not anticipate the Doctor's regeneration," the Master Dalek answered. "He was betrayed; he should have chosen to die!"

"I'm not entirely sure he wanted to die," Rose murmured.

"Scans of planet Earth indicate the presence of the TARDIS," the Master Dalek continued. "You will tell us where the TARDIS is located or you will be exterminated."

Rose laughed. "Hold on! You said that you know the TARDIS is here. If you're that smart, why do you need _my_ help to find him?"

"TARDIS activity ceased once Daleks found TARDIS signals," the Master Dalek said. "You know where he is! You will take us to him!"

Rose bit her lip. She could either die here or take them there and hope that Mickey had found the Doctor and convinced him to fight the Daleks. _Or_, came a third suggestion, _you could lie. _

Raising her chin, she said, "Fine, I'll lead you there, but on one condition: you don't kill anyone who comes across us. The walk will be far. No humans will be hurt. The moment they are, I stop helping you search for your precious Doctor. So, Daleks, what'll it be?"

The Daleks remained silent for a moment. The Master Dalek said, "Agreed. Take us to him!"

With a quick, fervent prayer that the Daleks need her enough to keep her alive the whole time, Rose led the Daleks out of the space craft.

She intended to lead them to Hyde Park, located across the city. She could only hope that the Doctor would come up with a plan before she reached her destination. But hope was only that, hope.

Rose had never felt more afraid and more alone.


	10. The Void

**Disclaimer: Same as the previous chapters. **

**Author's Note: I've taken certain liberties with the TARDIS, but it is alternate universe. And perhaps the TARDIS does have the power to do what I've described it as doing. Anyway, there's only one more chapter left. I'm also planning a few Doctor Who one-shots, having been inspired by the new specials. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**

* * *

**The Doctor raced around the TARDIS, checking certain controls and trying to think of a way out of this mess. If he knew the Daleks (and he knew them quite well), he would have next to no time to save Rose. He dared not tell Mickey what he was thinking.

He thought she was already dead.

Still, the fire in Mickey's eyes as he asked if there was anything he could do to help spurred the Doctor on. This young man was in love with her and he was willing to entrust both their lives to a strange man who offered hope. For a moment it amazed the Doctor, until he realized that he was feeling something like his old feelings towards humans and he immediately squashed the sentiment.

To Mickey, he said, "Be patient."

Mickey stood near the controls of the TARDIS and watched the Doctor at work.

"There has to be something, anything that can get rid of them," the Doctor murmured, checking the various screens and switches at the control panel. "I can't blow them up—I haven't got weapons. The sonic screwdriver doesn't work against them. By the time I get to Torchwood it'll be too late."

From the side, Mickey asked, "What's Torchwood?"

"Something you shouldn't know about," the Doctor replied, still moving quickly. "The Daleks are powerful. I can't fit them all in the TARDIS and blast them into space—then they'd still be alive! Not that the TARDIS works at the moment…"

"Then why are you trying to use it to save Rose, if it doesn't work?" Mickey asked, clenching his teeth in frustration.

The Doctor paused in his search long enough to send the other man a glare. "The TARDIS worked before!" he snapped. "It's the only thing I've got at the moment. If you have any better ideas, please enlighten me."

That kept Mickey's mouth shut.

The Doctor was silent as well as he paused at the main screen on the controls. He sighed and leaned forward, navigating through a few areas and trying to see what, if anything, could be done. He couldn't leave the planet and he couldn't kill the Daleks. So he could…

"Please, please," the Doctor whispered. "Just do _something_!"

A page different from any the Doctor had seen previously appeared on screen. There were many words, but only one phrase stood out in the Doctor's field of vision:

_Open the Void._

"Oh…" the Doctor whispered in awe. "This…I didn't even know the TARDIS could do this."

"What?" Mickey asked, coming over to look.

"This could be…" the Doctor read on and paused, because quite suddenly the paragraphs in front of him were the most interesting thing in the world.

Before him lay the answer to his problems. The page stated that the TARDIS could do one of two things. First, it could open a rift into the Void. The Doctor knew what this meant—anything that had travelled through the void would get sucked into it and, once the Void was sealed off, would disappear forever. The Daleks had travelled through it, he knew that, because when he last met the Daleks they mentioned going through the Void to survive the Time War. He himself had never done it as there was nothing in the Void, and passing through the Void meant going into a parallel world, which something he had always been strongly advised against doing by other Time Lords.

Those other Time Lords no longer existed. The second option would give the TARDIS the power to travel through the Void into a parallel universe.

The TARDIS only had enough power for one of the two options. Another attempt would have to wait days, even weeks while the TARDIS recharged, if it survived the attempt.

It was untested. Risky. The TARDIS wasn't even working properly. If it could not travel, how could it open the Void?

The Doctor straightened abruptly. He had looked for an escape for so long and here was the greatest escape, right in front of him. He could go to a parallel universe where no one had ever heard of him. No one.

He would be a huge disappointment to the human race if he did this. Not only to them, but to the universe.

He would disappoint Rose and Mickey. Rose would die.

_She's __probably already dead. _

"Doctor?"

The Doctor turned towards Mickey. Did he really care about these humans? He knew he shouldn't. He didn't want to. Yet something had compelled him to consider helping the humans again. It had to do with Rose more than Mickey, but Mickey had certainly helped.

"Rose is likely dead by now," he told the young man.

"I don't think so," Mickey said. Then, "What are you thinking? Are you thinking of not rescuing her?"

The Doctor held up a hand to silence him. "What if she's dead? Let's say Rose is dead right now, that there's no hope of saving her. Would you still have me try to get rid of the Daleks? Would it matter to you?"

"Of course it would," Mickey said. "Those things could destroy the world! You know how to get rid of them, so why aren't you doing it?"

The Doctor saw the raw honesty in Mickey's eyes and sighed. That strange feeling of amazement at the human race was starting to creep into his heart and this time he didn't stop it. He would need every bit of it to fuel his will-power if he was going to go through with his plan and get rid of his one chance for escape.

He might never get that chance again.

Vaguely, he remembered how disappointed Rose had seemed when he turned out to be different from her dreams. He had no idea what the dreams meant, or what they had showed her, but the mention of them made him wonder what kind of man he might have been.

_Well_, he thought, _I suppose I'm about to find out._

Throwing a final glance Mickey's way, the Doctor began to program the TARDIS. As the controls fired up and the TARDIS began to shake he could hear Mickey shouting, but the young man's yells fell on deaf ears. The Doctor was completely absorbed in his task. He had no time to waste if there was even the slightest hope that Rose would live.

He gasped as it occurred to him that he wanted to her to live more than anything.

"Hopefully," the Doctor said as he jerked back a lever to complete the process, "your girlfriend won't suffer for her bravery in facing the Daleks."

Mickey's hopefulness was palpable. The TARDIS jerked wildly, sending both the Doctor and Mickey to the floor.

"Is it working?" Mickey yelled over the noise.

"Yes!"

They were jarred around for the better part of five minutes and neither dared move nor go outside. Sparks flew from the central controls and a miniature fire had sprung up near the Doctor's foot. Mickey looked alarmed but the Doctor was not, having seen such things happen before when the TARDIS was doing something particularly powerful.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asked.

"It's opening up a rift into the Void," the Doctor shouted. "That's the space between different universes. The Daleks have travelled in the Void so they'll get sucked in and then it'll close off."

Mickey nodded and then yelled, "There are _other_ universes?"

"Of course! Some version of you is probably in quite a few of them."

While Mickey was absorbing this new information the TARDIS stopped moving and making any sort of noise and a strange, heavy silence fell over the area.

"They should be gone," the Doctor said. "The opening to the Void has closed."

"So what do we do now?"

The Doctor strode over to the door and swung it open. "We have a look, of course."

* * *

The walk to the park near Rose's house was long and completely silent. The Doctor had much on his mind. He wondered how long it would take the TARDIS to be functional again, if it did in fact decide to work and take him somewhere. He wondered at his willingness to help the humans. It had been so easy to revert back to his former ways that he wondered whether he was ever really meant to stay aloof in the first place. He wondered why it was his lot in life to suffer while trying to save others. He wondered why he couldn't be a normal Time Lord that didn't interfere.

He wondered if Rose Tyler was still alive.

His chest felt progressively tighter the closer they got to the site where the Daleks had landed. Mickey was leading, as the Doctor hadn't actually been there. He, too, seemed extremely nervous, almost to the point of being hesitant.

The Doctor was afraid of seeing a body.

As they came into the park they _did_ come across a body. Mickey gasped, but the Doctor gripped his arm and bent down so as to see who it was. Straightening, he murmured, "It's not Rose."

Mickey breathed a sigh of relief and the Doctor turned around, knowing they weren't in the clear quite yet. All signs of the Daleks were gone, but they still hadn't found—

"Mickey? Mickey, is that you?"

Both men turned so fast that it was almost painful. Running towards them, blonde hair flying, was Rose Tyler, alive and whole and _safe_.

The Doctor's breath caught and Mickey ran to his girlfriend and embraced her, crying, "Rose! I'm so glad to see you! I wasn't sure if you…"

"No," Rose cried, "I'm alive! I-I can't believe it. I'm alive."

The two broke apart. Both had tears in their eyes. Rose raised hers to stare at the Doctor.

"You saved me," she whispered.

"It wasn't just you," the Doctor said, shrugging. "The whole world was at stake. You just made me aware."

"You said you would never help us," Rose insisted. "You didn't want to."

"I couldn't be responsible for your death."

"I know why you didn't want to save us, though," Rose said. "The Daleks showed me."

The Doctor stiffened. "What did they show you?"

"How…how the girl, your companion, betrayed you and let them kill you."

"Oh." The Doctor sighed.

"So, what now?" Mickey asked. He looked around and laughed. "This is strange. The world almost ended. You," he gestured to Rose, "almost died. What are we supposed to do?"

"I'm exhausted," Rose said. "We should just go to my mum's house and sleep and figure this out tomorrow."

The Doctor glanced up at the sky and started to back away. "You two have fun, then. I'll just be going…"

"Oh, no you don't," Rose said, grabbing the Doctor's arm and pulling him forward. "You saved my life! Now you're going to meet my mum!"

The Doctor reflected that he must be really tired, because he didn't even bother to argue.


	11. Knowing

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, again. **

**Author's Note: Last chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy!**

**

* * *

**Unsurprisingly, sleep came quickly and managed to take everyone away from the realities of their long, hard day.

Yet the night could not hold the morning at bay forever.

The Doctor woke up on the couch in the living area of Rose's house, sunlight shining onto his face. He groaned and sat up, reflecting that he hated waking up in other people's houses and perhaps he should leave before Rose's mother woke up.

Jackie had been a bit overenthusiastic about making sure that Rose, Mickey and the Doctor were okay.

The Doctor supposed he should have expected it. Even he was surprised that none of them had gotten hurt or killed.

Stretching, he stood up and checked the pockets of his new suit, the one from that department store Rose worked in. His sonic screwdriver was in place. He sighed and glanced down the hallway.

No one was awake. He could just…leave. He turned towards the door when a soft voice called out, "Doctor?"

He found Rose staring at him, wide-eyed, leaning out of her bedroom door. "Go back to sleep," he said.

"No." Rose walked towards him. "You were going to leave, weren't you?"

The Doctor stared at her. "Yes."

"Why?" Rose bit her lip. "I never really got the chance to thank you."

"Well, I suppose you just did."

"That…it isn't enough. I know I said you were a disappointment before, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry. It was completely—"

"No," the Doctor interrupted. "I needed it. I needed you and Mickey to tell me that, otherwise you might be dead. The whole world might have been taken over by Daleks. You did me a favor, really."

Rose sighed and rubbed her arms to ward off the cool morning air. "So, what are you going to do now?" she asked. "You must know, if you're so eager to leave."

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "I'm just not…used to staying with other people." He threw a look down a hallway as though checking to make sure no one else was there. "Not that your house isn't nice, but it doesn't quite suit me."

"I suppose not," Rose said. "You seem to be a solitary man. Although it can't be nice, being lonely all the time. Doesn't it make you sad?"

"The alternative saddens me more," the Doctor answered shortly.

Rose took a step closer to him and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "Are you going to start saving the universe again?"

"Should I?" the Doctor asked. "People always die no matter what. I don't think I can help much." It was the same argument he had used before, but there was less conviction and the hesitation was clear in his eyes.

"I think you can."

"How? Why?"

"It's like you said, Doctor," Rose answered, with more confidence than the Doctor had been able to project. "People die. But you can help so many more _live_."

"I suppose…"

"No," Rose cut across him. "You _know_. Yesterday is just one of the many examples that your mind is probably coming up with right now. Am I right?"

The Doctor laughed. "You are right. Rose Tyler, you are one hell of a woman to argue with."

Rose smiled. "So does that mean you'll do it?"

"I'll just have to accept that I can't save everyone, I suppose, and that people can disappoint me, won't I?"

"Everyone else does, but they all try to make the best out of life anyway."

The Doctor's expression turned melancholy. "I hope you keep thinking that way, Rose Tyler." He turned around.

Rose realized that, in his own way, the Doctor had just tried to say goodbye. He was going to walk out of her life and probably disappear into the universe. Perhaps he would turn up again to save the world. Would he be the Doctor she now knew? Would his appearance and personality have changed?

He would be alone.

Rose remembered her dream and suddenly she found herself following him outside.

"You can't leave!"

The Doctor turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you just telling me that I should go about making the universe a better place? How can I do that if I'm here?"

"I didn't mean that," Rose stammered. "I just mean…you're the most interesting man I've ever met in my life and my life has been nothing until now and…I feel like I can't just let you go."

A shadow passed over the Doctor's face and he sighed. "You know you have to."

"Couldn't I…come with you?" The words left Rose before she could quite control herself, but once they had been spoken she knew that this was her true desire. She wanted to travel with him, to save the world, to make something of her ordinary life that had been so full of nothing until he came around. She wanted to know him like her dream self had.

"No." The Doctor was firm. "I couldn't lose you. Besides, aren't you engaged to Mickey? And what about your mum? Would you really be willing to leave them behind? You've made a life with them now, whether you like it or not. Perhaps your mum would understand, but Mickey loves you and you love him. He needs you."

Rose took a deep breath. "I had a dream," she said, "and I want to know what you think about it."

"Tell me."

Rose told him about her dreams, the ones in which the two of them seemed to have so much trust for each other and perhaps a bit of something more. She told him that he had left her behind in the second dream and that he had been about to say something but had been cut off. The whole time the Doctor's expression did not change.

"I suppose," he said, when she was done, "that those dreams might have been real, had things gone different. Perhaps there was a time when I would have let you come with me. Not now, though. I can't risk it."

"You can't be alone," Rose insisted. "You need someone."

"It won't be you," the Doctor answered, jaw set. "You have a life here and I won't take that away from you. The only thing I can tell you is to live it well. We might see each other again someday. Perhaps…I might visit."

"I won't forget you, you know," Rose said.

"No, I didn't think you would," the Doctor said with a small laugh. "And I suppose…I won't forget you, either. You are, after all, the human who convinced me to be the Doctor again." He smiled. "Thank you." His smile slipped. "I should get going."

Rose felt tears prick at her eyes but she ignored them. Instead, she rushed forward and enveloped the Doctor in a hug. He was stiff for a moment, but gradually he relaxed and hugged her back. There was something familiar in the Doctor's hug.

They broke apart and he began to walk away. Rose watched him, unable to stop herself from crying. She wasn't sure what kept her from running after him again—perhaps it was his insistence that she stay, or perhaps it was Mickey and her mother waiting for her back home.

The Doctor turned to find her still watching. "You know," he called out, a rather hesitant expression on his face, "I'm not going to be around forever."

Rose did not move. Rather, she whispered, "I know." Still, the statement jarred her. She wondered what the Doctor meant by that.

He did not expand on this. Instead he turned around and walked away.

After a moment, Rose went back inside. She had something to ask Mickey.


End file.
